Those Times
by Christa1910
Summary: 6 years after Chihiro came back to the human world, she cant remember anything that happened. But one field trip; a lost classmate, an abandoned shrine, new student who much resembled the boy in her dreams and a war in the Spirit world turned her life upside down once more.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey guys! Haven't wrote anything in a long time, so here I go again! 3 I'm hoping to make this long~ This idea's been burning in my head for a while now! Hope you like it! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away and its characters~**

Prologue

Chihiro has been back from the Spirit World for almost 6 years. Now she's in high school, full of friends, drama, and just, school. She doesn't have any memory of what happened those 6 years ago-however, now and then "weird" dreams would pop up in her head, flashing scenes of what happened. She would just assume it as normal children's "nightmares" or her imagination going wild. Everything is normal. Until this one field trip; a lost classmate, an abandoned shrine and a head full of curiosity brought her back to her second home, and most importantly, back to Haku. But dangerous things are happening back in the spirit world, something Haku must protect Chihiro from. Will Chihiro regain her memory of Haku, or will she just be lost forever?

Chapter 1: When the birds start to chirp

It's spring. Time for the leaves to grow, for the cherry blossoms to grow and shed and time for nature to regain its beauty. However, those poor high school kids are stuck in class, waiting for the history teacher to stop ranting and waiting for the home bell to ring. Chihiro sat in her usual window seat, twirling a pen in her hand, staring out the window. The teacher's words go through her head, ignoring the brain and just came out of her ears. She didn't bother to listen; she's 100% sure she understands all of this.

After what seemed like an eternity of twirling her pen, the bell finally rang. The teacher assigned homework and left the class to tidy up and leave. Chihiro is on classroom duty with her friend Pat and her other friend, Takashi. "Yo, Chi!" Pat tapped Chihiro's shoulder. "wanna go get some cake after we finish tidying up?" "sure, Pat." She said. Pat Reiko was her best friend ever since she arrived here. She's half American and half Japanese, but she lived here all her life. She is always cheerful and smiling, never ceasing to lighten the mood of the whole room. Pat has short dark brown hair and a pair of hazel eyes, often hidden behind her thick glasses. "You wanna come too, Takashi?" Takashi looked up from his book. "What? Oh, cake? Sure." Takashi has what is considered "long" hair, for boy standards. His hair is always messy and his side bangs often covers his blue eyes. He has been friends with Chihiro and Pat since grade 6, when he transferred to this school. It's quite an old school, but the students and teachers work hard to preserve it and make it look like it is new.

Chihiro packed her backpack, and stood up to help clean up. She dusted off the board erasers, arranged the chalk and wiped the teacher's desk. Pat cleaned the floors, and when Takashi got up he accidentally tripped over Pat's broom and almost face-planted onto the floor, but Pat caught him. "Woah there, careful! Can't you see I'm cleaning?" Pat said, pretending to be angry. Chihiro just chuckled while continuing to do her job and Takashi just stuck out his tongue at her. "Mind your own business, Pat." Pat glared at him for a while before they both fell into a heap laughing. "Come on guys, let's just get the work done before it's too late to stop by the cake shop and get some cake!" Chihiro said, her back to both of her laughing friends. Pat wiped a tear from her eye. "Okay… Let's just get this done!"

After a while of cleaning, Chihiro announced, "There, that's done!" as she dryed the cloth she used to wash the black board. "Hurray!" cheered Pat. "Is it too late now to get cake?" Chihiro looked at the clock. It read 4:30. "Nah, we'll be fine… Only if we hurry though." She picked up her bag from her seat and walked towards the door. The others followed.

Chihiro, Pat and Takashi chatted as they walked down the main street towards the cake shop. "say, Chi, are you still having those weird dreams?" Pat asked, trying to sound casual. "Dreams? What dreams-OOOOH, _those _dreams! The ones that included dancing radishes and oversized babies yea?" "Shut up, Takashi." Pat said with a laugh. Chihiro just chuckled and shook her head. "No, I don't have those anymore." She said. "well, at least not the _weird_ ones." Chihiro thought of the dream where she held hands with this boy… This boy that seemed so distant yet _so _familiar. Those emerald green eyes that stared into her hazel brown ones… She quickly shook off that memory. 'No. That couldn't have been true. He looked like he lived in the oh-so-ancient world while it's already the 21st century. Wake-up, Chihiro!' She mentally slapped herself a few times. "CAKE SHOP AHEAD!" Pat announced loudly as she ran a head. "Wait for me!" Takashi yelled as he followed close behind. "What about me?" Chihiro said with a smile as she followed her friends.

The cake shop is small, but when they opened the door, the delicious smell of freshly baked pastries welcomed them. The waitress at the counter greeted them with a smile. "Hi Michelle!" Pat greeted the waitress. Michelle is Pat's neighbor, and she's in college. She works at the cake shop when the owner isn't around. "Hi Pat! Hi Chihiro, Takashi." Michelle smiled at them. "So, anything you guys especially crave today?" Pat stared at the cakes that are in display. Takashi looked at the menu. Chihiro stood at the door and stared outside. A small brown sparrow landed on the window sill and chirped happily, and soon a few more landed behind it. A memory flashed through her mind.

_A shadow creature with a weird mask on sat next to Chihiro. A mouse and a tiny bird perched on her shoulder. They are in a… Train. Yes, A train of some sort. The night is getting dark outside, and somehow they are travelling in the ocean… _

"HELLOOOO CHI!" Pat's calls snapped Chihiro out of that memory. "Wha-? Oh, sorry!" Chihiro shook her head. "You zoomed out again just now!" Takashi said as Pat huffed. "We were just deciding what to eat. So there's the chocolate cake… the hazelnut cream cake and the strawberry cheese cake. Takashi wants the hazelnut cake and I want the chocolate cake, so we need you to decide!" Chihiro peered into the display cabinet. The chocolate cake looks delicious, coated in rich dark chocolate and coconut flakes. Next to it sat the hazelnut cream cake, coated in thick brown cream and hazelnuts. The strawberry cake also looks delicious… She couldn't decide. "I'm on Takashi's side this time!" Chihiro finally announced. "Yeah!" Takashi punched his fist in the air. Pat melted onto the ground, and sighed. "Why Chi…. MY CHOCOLATE CAKE…" Chihiro laughed at their childish acts. "Don't worry Pat, next time we can have the cake you want sooooo desperately!" The three friends sat down and shared the cake. The sun lazily slid down the horizon, inking the sky a soft mix of pink, orange and yellow.

Chihiro looked at the watch. "Geez! I gotta go now!" she stood up and grabbed her bag, and headed for the door. "Okay! See you tomorrow!" Takashi and Pat waved at her. Chihiro smiled and ran down the main street, back to her cozy house.

**I know there wasn't much about the Spirit World yet, but I promise the next few chapters would be more exciting! Please leave a review to tell me what you think~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay! New chapter! I hope to update more often, but I'm busy with school and orchestra, soooooo… Yeah :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away (no matter how much I want to QAQ)~**

Chapter 2: A helping hand and a face in a dream

The sun is high on the sky, and Chihiro stood in front of the soccer goal. A drop of sweat slid down the side of her face as she watched her opponents making their way towards the goal. Chihiro was never a sporty person, she'd much rather spend the time of soccer practice inside, drawing or chatting with her friends. But Pat wanted to join the soccer club, and _insisted _on tagging Chihiro along. Chihiro, with no choice but to agree, is now also in the soccer club. She sighed, remembering her first soccer practice, which _really, really _sucked. "CHI! WATCH OUT!" A call from Pat snapped her out of her memory, but it was too late. The ball flew straight at her face, and she got knocked over. She was expecting the feeling of her body colliding with the floor, but it never happened. Instead, she felt like she was caught by a familiar person, and before she could see clearly who it was, she blacked out.

"_Chihiro."_

Chihiro shifted slightly in her slumber.

"_Chihiro."_

Chihiro grunted, and tried to open her eyes, but a sharp pain in her head forced her to close them once again.

"_Chihiro."_

Chihiro opened her eyes slowly, a headache stormed in her head, but she tried to ignore the pain. She finally opened her eyes wide, only to find herself staring at a pair of emerald green eyes. Chihiro gasped and ducked into her covers. _What was that?! _Chihiro's mind raced, her heart beating fast. She closed her eyes, and listened. "Is she awake, Kohaku-kun?" the sound of an extremely tired Pat came close. "Yes." The so-called Kohaku-kun replied. Chihiro's eyes opened wide. _The voice-the name! Why is it so familiar? Ugh! I just cant remember! _She mentally head-desked herself. Then there was a rustle of covers and the blinding light of the hospital room made Chihiro squint. She felt so exposed. "Oh dear lord! Thank god you are awake, Chi!" Chihiro slowly opened her eyes, and saw Pat sitting on the side of her bed. "W-where… am I?" was all Chihiro managed to murmur. "Oh, you are at the hospital." Pat's eyes opened wide. "Woah wait a minute! Don't tell me you got amnesia!" Pat inched her face closer to Chihiro's face, their noses almost touching. "Do you remember who you are? Who am I?" Chihiro paused for a second, and suddenly all the memories came flooding back.

"_Oh my god! Call the ambulance! The nurse! Or something! Chihiro looks really badly hurt!" Pats voice was heard, but it was distant. Chihiro heard the rushing of footsteps and people asking her if she was alright. She felt like she was laying in…some one's lap. And then there was nothing. Just… Black. Until now._

"Uh… I'm Chihiro… And you are Leiko Pat?" Pat breathed a sigh of relief as she backed away. "Good. She still remembers!" Chihiro grunted and tried to sit up, but her head still hurts. She reached one of her hands to touch her head but instead of feeling her soft hair, she felt a bandage. "Woah Chi! Stay still! Don't touch your bandage!" Pat rushed over, and helped her up. "I'm hurt?" Chihiro asked, dumb folded. "Chi, seriously? You were hit by a soccer ball, flying towards you at light speed. How could you not be hurt?" Pat shook her head, but a smile was on her face. Chihiro just closed her head and sat against the pillows. "Wait… where's mom and dad?" "Oh, your parents are on their way here." Pat said. "The school already called them." Chihiro nodded. She opened her eyes again, and looked around.

Then, she saw Kohaku, sitting on a chair next to Pat. Chihiro mentally face-palmed herself. How could she forget? The mystery boy? "Who's that?" Chihiro mumbled, only loud enough for Pat to hear. "Oh! I forgot to introduce you to Kohaku-kun!" Kohaku stood up from his seat, and bowed a little. Chihiro was still shocked by how much he resembled the boy she often dreams about. "I'm Kohaku Nigihayami. I just transferred from Kyoko to here." Chihiro nodded. "and this is Chihiro Ogino." Pat continued. "N-nice to meet you, Kohaku-kun." "Nice to meet you too, Chihiro." Haku (AN: Just going to start calling him Haku now) replied, and sat down. "Well, you see Chi, Kohaku caught you when you were hit by the ball." Pat said. "And then we sent you to the hospital, and yup. That's about it." Chihiro suddenly remembered about how she felt like she was caught. A blush crept up to her cheeks. "Thank you, Kohaku." She murmured. Haku nodded at her. "Well… I think we should leave her to rest. I'm going to call Takashi telling him that you're OK." Chihiro nodded at Pat, and Pat stood up and left the room.

The moment Pat closed the door behind her, the awkward-ness in the room rose from 50 to 1000. Chihiro felt nervous around Haku, and Haku just stared out the window. Haku is wearing the school's uniform, and Chihiro had to admit, he looked quite nice. _He's so close yet so different from the boy in my dreams. _Chihiro thought. The Haku in her dreams looked much younger, and he was wearing his bathhouse clothes. His facial features remained the same; long sea-green hair, straight bangs, and emerald green eyes. Haku seemed to feel Chihiro stare at her, and turned around to look at her. Chihiro felt her body temperature rocketing up into the night sky. She can almost feel her skin sizzling! "U-um Haku-" Chihiro started but quickly clasped her hands on her mouth. "N-NO! I mean _Kohaku_-" she stammered, her whole face red. "It's fine." He said, a soft look in his eyes. "you can call me Haku." Chihiro nodded reluctantly. _How did that even slip?! _Chihiro mentally scolded herself. _I just met him today!_

"Chihiro?" Haku's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Y-yes?" she looked up, feeling awkward. "Do I look familiar to you?" Silence. Chihiro's eyes widened and her face got even redder. "I, _what? _I don't, I-" Chihiro stuttered, and chuckled nervously, "_How-" _She stopped when she saw the look in Haku's eyes. He looked hurt. And forgotten. "Oh god I am sorry! Did I say anything wrong?" Chihiro said, feeling like her tongue has been tied into a knot. "No." Haku said, his voice like steel but with a hint of sadness. "I guess… I just met the wrong Chihiro." "What do you mean?" Chihiro was curious. Was he looking for somebody? "I met a Chihiro six years ago… But she had to leave." Chihiro stared at him, her mouth agape. _Click._ A few gears in her brain seemed to start turning again, as flows and flows of memories came back at her, like a tide washing over a lost rubber ducky.

**AN: Cliffy? Yes? Nu? Ehuehuehuehue~ Please read and I hope to update soon! 3**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: ~~ Updating~~ Sorry that took quite long. How will Chihiro feel? Read to find out :P**

**Also, thanks**** for making all the lovely comments! : )**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Spirited Away, it's an amazing movie~ I only own the two OCs :)**

Chapter 2: The deer caged in my chest

Chihiro felt faint. All the memories that are rushing into her mind caused her to feel really dizzy. "Oh dear kami-sama." Was all she managed to murmur before she blacked out once more.

…

"CHIHIRRRRROOOOOOOO!"

Chihiro opened her eyes and saw the ceiling of an un-recognizable room. She suddenly panicked. _Where am I? What am I doing here? _But suddenly the memories of last night and all the events that occurred hit her like a ten ton brick.

Takashi and Pat are in their casual clothes, sitting next to Chihiro's hospital bed. Haku sat on the otherside, and he seemed to be asleep. Pat was dozing off as well, her glasses askew on her nose and her mouth wide open. Takashi stared at Chihiro. "Man Chi, you still okay?" Chihiro nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." She said quietly, not wanting to wake up Haku and Pat from their peaceful slumber. "Where are my parents?" "Oh, Mrs. And Mr. Ogino went home after they visited you. Apparently you were asleep at that time." Takashi said, and shrugged. Chihiro nodded, and slumped back. Her bandaged head hit the wall, and she shrieked, but quickly covered her mouth with her hands. Takashi quickly stuffed a few pillows behind her head. Haku stirred, and opened his eyes. Pat yawned and stretched, rubbing her sleepy eyes. "Chi? You alright?" she said while stifling another yawn. Chihiro nodded. Takashi looked at the still tired Pat, and stared at his backpack full of homework which sat at his feet. "Well, Chi, it's good that you are alright, but I need to bring Pat back so she can get some rest and I really need to finish my homework." He said. Chihiro nodded. Pat just looked shocked. "What? No! I can't just leave my friend hanging! I gotta-" Chihiro stopped her. "It's okay, Pat. You were a lot of help." She got up and hugged Pat. Pat hugged her back and smiled. "Well, if you say so. Let's go, Takashi." Takashi nodded and picked up his bag. "Well hope to see you at school on Monday!" Chihiro nodded. "Okay!" Pat and Takashi waved at her once more before disappearing into the corridor, the door slammed shut behind them. Chihiro sat there, waiting until their footsteps and talking disappeared completely before she lay down again. She closed her eyes, and for a second she totally forgot about Haku's presence. At least, that was before Haku spoke up. "Chihiro?"

Chihiro's eyes snapped open, and her face burned bright red. _Dear Kami-sama! How did I even forgot about __him__ being here? _She mentally face palmed her-self. _Alright Chihiro. Time to face the truth._

She sat up, trying to hide her face from him by looking at the other direction. "Yes?" She could feel Haku's gaze on her back. "Do you remember?"

Chihiro's heart felt like a deer who is trying to escape from her chest. _Why did he have to bring that back?! _Her body temperature rose high above human standards once more. "I, uh, think so." She murmured. She couldn't exactly memorize EVERYTHING, but at least she knew Haku, how he is the Spirit and Guardian of the Kohaku river and how she rode on his back before, when he was a dragon. And then she can remember Lin, Kamagi, The soot balls, Lin, Yubaba, Zeniba, and No-Face. All their faces floated around in her mind, and she shook it off. "I…I remember a few people, but I can't remember every detail. I've been to the spirit world, haven't I?" Chihiro knew "yes" would be the answer, yet she still asked. She didn't want the room to fall into complete and utter silence once more. She sighed quietly, and turned to face Haku, who remained silent. "answer me, please, Haku."

Haku sighed. "Yes, Chihiro, you have." He said. "but you might not remember everything, because of a reason, which we don't know yet." He murmured. Chihiro just nodded. The names, faces, voices and personalities are all she can remember. And slight images of the spirit world, the fragments from her dreams. That is all. Nothing more. "Haku, how long can you stay here?" Chihiro said. She knew if Spirits lived without spirit food they can become weaker and weaker. "Just a few more weeks." He said. "And then I will have to leave." He grabbed her hand, which took her by surprise. She blushed furiously. "I'm glad I found you though, Chihiro."

Chihiro gulped. "A-and I'm glad I remember you, Haku." She said, and a small smile crept up her face. She lept up and pulled Haku into a very "platonic" embrace. She couldn't stop herself. She just missed him. She knew it, deep in her heart, and she couldn't deny it. A big fat tear slid down her face. And another. And another. Soon enough, she was crying tears of happiness as she clung on to Haku. "Y-you still remembered o-our promise! That you will c-come back to s-see me!" She said, sniffling. Haku closed his eyes and planted a light kiss on Chihiro's forehead. "I did. And I will never leave you alone for so long ever again." He murmured. Chihiro smiled, her eyes still watery. She pulled away from their embrace, and wiped the tears away with her sleeve. "Thank you for saving me though, Haku. You know, um, the soccer accident." Haku shook his head. "No, Chihiro. I still need to thank you. You helped me in so many ways, Chihiro." His green eyes stared into her hazel brown ones. "I am the one who should thank you." Chihiro blushed again, her cheeks burning. "I-its not a problem! T-that's what friends do, right?" She buried herself in the blanket. "A-anyways, I need to rest. Er, see you later I guess?" "see you at school then." Haku said, and walked towards the door. "and Chihiro," "Yes?" "Take care of yourself."

Those were the last words he said before closing the door and leaving Chihiro to rest.

~Time skip: Monday~

"Chi!" Pat jumped from her seat and ran towards the door to greet her. "You are OK now!" Chihiro nodded, and smiled at her friend. "I'm feeling much better now, Pat." She said. "Let's get back to our seats-we can talk then." Pat nodded, and offered to help Chihiro with her bag and books. Chihiro refused, but thanked her anyway. She sat down on her usual window seat, and began to unpack her bag. Pat's seat is right infront of her seat so she just turned around and rested her elbows and her chin on Chihiro's desk. "soooooooo…." Pat began, watching Chihiro un-pack. "What did you and Kohaku-kun talk about that day when me and Takashi left?" Pat had a smirk on her face, excited about new gossip. Chihiro's face suddenly turned bright red. "Shut up Pat," she said, and shot Pat a death glare. Pat made a dramatic sound and flopped down onto her own desk. But a few seconds later she shot up again. "OH RIGHT!" She said, her eyes gleaming. "Tomorrow is the art field trip! Remember? We're going to that shrine, you know, the red one! In the mountains!" Chihiro mentally slapped herself. _How could I forget? That's the gateway to the spirit world! _She hissed in her brain.

"Hello?" Pat waved infront of Chihiro's face.

"Er, yeah?"

"Man Chi, you seem to zoom out a lot these days! Bet that you are thinking about Kohaku-kun!"

Chihiro's face burned at the mention of Haku. "What?!" She hissed silently, almost flipping her table. Pat laughed. "Just kidding! From your reaction, I am _pretty sure you are _thinking about him!" She giggled. Chihiro glared at her before she returned her focus back to the unpacking of her bag.

"Well Chi, you excited about the trip?"

"Duh, of course! We don't really have many trips a year."

"Well THAT'S because we live so far away from all those good tourist sites."

"I guess so."

The bell rang, and their conversation just dropped like a heavy stone. The teacher walked in and class began. Chihiro quickly tuned out from the "academic station" and returned to swim in her thoughts. _So many things happened. _She thought, as she starts to twirl her pen and stare out the window.

-TIME SKIP-

Home bell rang, and the students are all buzzing with excitement. The teacher, Ms. Suzuki managed to quiet them down with a loud cough.

"As you know students, tomorrow is the art field trip to the shrine." Began Ms. Suzuki, "We will all be taking the bus to the base of the mountain, and hiking up to the shrine." A loud groan of disappointment spread throughout the class-room, but Ms. Suzuki ignored them. "We will be sketching for half an hour, and then we will have lunch. After lunch we will finish our sketches and the rest of the time if free time, until 3:45 PM which we will be coming back to school. You will need to bring some money, a packed lunch, art utensils, the art sketchbook and comfortable clothes for hiking. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Ms. Suzuki." Replied the class.

"Good. Class is dismissed for today. Hope to see you all tomorrow by the bus!"

**AN: I promise some cool things will happen next chapter! :) Please leave a review! 3**


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